Josh the Whale: Down Where It’s Wetter (and the Story is Better)

We’ve seen a lot of applications aimed at children during our tenure here at the iPhone App Review. Throughout the years, we’ve seen everything from poorly drawn storybooks to wholly interactive wonders that provide an entire world for your children to explore. Today’s review lies somewhere between the two, though much closer to the truly stellar half of the coin. It’s called Josh the Whale, and it’s an engaging romp through the ocean with an heartfelt moral at its core. For our full review of this wet and wild storybook for the iPad, you need only to slide on down below the break!

Concept and Functionality

When it comes to children’s apps, there seems to be two paths you can go. One is a page-by-page affair that is directly analogous to a traditional storybook: The sort you might curl up with to read to your child one fine evening. The other is a more technologically advanced number, involving mini-games, bits to poke about, and a more refined presence on the iPad.

Josh the Whale leans more towards being a storybook, though is not nearly as bland as all that. The book tells the story of a young whale who helps another whale return to its pod. Along the way, he must traverse a number of perils, and will occasionally need guidance from your child to get the job done. This assistance is delivered in the form of mini-games, each with a fun twist and an end result that moves the plot along.

To the parent, the book also comes with read-out-loud or read-to-me functionality. In fact, the book’s narrator is its original author, albeit much older than he was when he concocted the story as a child. It’s a solid

Artwork and Design

Josh the Whale for iPad

All in all, this creates a very pleasant air within the application. It’s a charming affair from cover to cover, and the fabulous CGI work goes a long way toward making it this way. It’s not the smoothest we’ve seen for the iPad, but that’s long complaining that an amp doesn’t go to eleven. There’s some great style to be had here, and the writing is top notch. We enjoyed the cute, but realistic portrayal of the whales, as well as the effortless touch-based controls and interface.

Overall Value

And at the end of the day, Josh the Whale will only set you back two bucks. Compared to the price of a regular, printed storybook for children, that’s quite a bargain. And for that money you’ll get a lot more interactivity, an entire ecosystem to introduce your child to, and a deep lesson about self-worth and perseverance. For that, Josh the Whale earns an easy recommendation from us here at the iPhone App Review.

Josh the Whale requires iOS 6.1 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. A small expedite fee was paid to speed up the publication of this review.

[…] Price: $ 1.99 Rating: ****½ (4.5/5) Josh the Whale: Written iPad App Review We’ve seen a lot of applications aimed at children during our tenure here at the iPhone App Review. Throughout the years, we’ve seen everything from poorly drawn storybooks to wholly interactive wonders that provide an entire world for your children to explore. […] The iPhone App Review : iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad App Reviews […]